These days, the first appearance of a food truck in Baltimore can prompt a feeding frenzy, and when the truck in question dispenses grilled cheese sandwiches, well, the result seems to be a virtual stampede.

That was the case on Tuesday, the second day of operation for the much-anticipated grilled cheese truck GrrChe, which had parked at the corner of Monument and Calvert streets.

I got there a little before 2 p.m. and they had already sold 200 sandwiches and were out of the eight pounds of bacon and five pounds of Cheddar Cheese with which they began their day. Happily, they were well-stocked with other delicious cheeses and accompaniments to satisfy the grilled cheese aficionados assembled. Just as I arrived, though, they were attending to a glitch in the generator that keeps cold things cold.

And yet, here’s what impressed me. None of the waiting crowd was cranky. Linda Reinhardt and Audrey Kay, who work in the neighborhood, had been waiting half an hour when I spoke with them. They had ordered the Lobster Grilled Cheese and the Monterey Jack Cheese with tomato.

“We’re willing to wait. We understand the generator broke down, but they fixed it,” Reinhardt said. “The food looks good and we’ve been looking forward to trying it.” They said they were bringing one back to a colleague at work.

Also pleasantly relaxed was a young couple. They were, likewise, waiting longer than they had expected to for their Tomato Basil soup and Grilled American Cheese and Tomato Sandwich. Yet when their number was called, they just grinned and stepped forward. Several young women had ordered two Crab Delights and two Dominiques (made with blue cheese) to share.

Kathy Meyers, who works at The Baltimore Sun a block away, was similarly mellow, even though she, too, had wanted cheddar and bacon. She was fine with the Monterey jack.

The mood was cheerful, and I was impressed with the social atmosphere. I have been in restaurants where food served 10 minutes late will cause people to snarl. I must say, though, I am glad that they have hired a third person.

Alan Willard, owner, chief cook and bottle washer, and his colleague Jennifer Lang, cook and hostess, as well as the face of GrrChe, deserve a hand. Willard has been in the food business in various capacities for most of his professional life.

Then, after a stint at a straightforward business career, he followed his bliss and bought a truck and a new Honda generator, and set out to make the tastiest grilled cheese in town. Lang previously worked at Chipotle and was a martial arts instructor – both of which help explain her stamina.

Showing great good humor, they kept going until the final straggler was fed.

Day Three: Truck Is Hassled, I Try Their Food

On The Gourmet Grilled Cheese Truck’s third day they were located near 1900 East Monument St., amid Johns Hopkins Hospital buildings. Joining the crew was Ericka Simmons, most recently a bartender at Mike’s Crab House. I asked her how she liked her new job so far.

”I love it,” Simmons said. “Everyone seems so happy.” And that comment came after a Hopkins security guard asked them to move a block away.

“I support what you guys are doing, I just need you to move over there,” the guard said. There was a ten-minute interlude while the GrrChe truck went around the block.

While walking a block may be easy, moving a food truck that distance is a hassle. It means shutting everything down for safety’s sake and also necessitates lowering the counters and awnings and so on and securing them. Then, you’ve got to get everything back in working order a few hundred feet away. Most diners waited the 20 minutes till they were up and running again. After that, the service breezed along. Adding Simmons to the staff increased efficiency and lightened the work and the wait.

Finally, it’s time for me to eat!

I am tempted to try the Sweet Tooth – grilled cheese, mascarpone, brie, chocolate and caramel – but go with my instincts: the lobster grilled cheese roll, and the classic cheddar and bacon.

The Lobster roll is made with Maine lobster, Havarti cheese, celery and spices on a split-top roll. I also asked for whatever is their best seller. Not surprisingly, the most popular is the Smoked cheddar, bacon and tomato on white bread. I ordered that also. Each comes with a wedge of dill pickle, a bag of Utz potato chips and an apple. Water, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Arizona Green Tea are the beverages currently offered for sale with lunch.

I confess I  was skeptical of the lobster roll, but GrrChe had actual chunks of fresh claw meat and good-sized random bits. Given that I would never think to combine this delicacy with cheese, I was surprised to find that it did add a bit of a bite. And the crisp celery compensates for the very soft roll. All in all, it was a tasty summer treat and worth the price.

The bacon, smoked cheddar and tomato sandwich is genuine comfort food. The Applewood bacon they used was thick enough to bite into and the cheese nice and sharp. Again, the bread was a little soft for my taste, but I understand the style.

The sandwiches are grilled on a flat hot griddle and turned and covered with a little metal dome, rather than an iron press which is often used. Willard explained that he wants the fillings to be distinguishable and not simply crushed together. He makes a good point. And since the fillings are delicious, I will adapt to the bread.

Check out the GRRCHE Grilled Cheese Truck on the web for the menu and updates and on Facebook or Twitter (@GrrChe) to learn about daily locations. (Today, June 23, FYI, they are on the 300 block of St. Paul Place, just north of Saratoga.)

When you find them, let me know what you think.

Also, are you going to eat your lunch back home or at work? If neither, please tell me your favorite al fresco spot for a summer lunch.